Syrian army shells neighborhoods; 18 die

BEIRUT -- The Syrian army shelled residential areas and unleashed gunmen yesterday, and a human rights group said at least 18 people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy. The shelling of neighborhoods evoked memories of the Assad regime's brutal 40-year legacy of crushing dissent.

Syrian activists and protesters involved in the seven-week-long uprising renewed their cries for the world to join them in calling for embattled President Bashar Assad to give up power.

"The Syrian people are being killed and Bashar knows that he has a free hand. Nobody is really stopping him," a 28-year-old Syrian from the besieged seaside city of Banias told The Associated Press by telephone, asking that his name not be used out of fear for his own safety.

Assad is determined to crush the uprising despite international pressure and sanctions from Europe and the United States. European countries summoned Syrian ambassadors yesterday to threaten a new round of sanctions if the regime fails to halt the bloodshed.

But rights activists brushed off the threats as ineffective, saying the death toll already has exceeded those seen during the recent uprisings in Yemen and Tunisia.

"It is clear the international community is still giving the regime chances," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Obama administration officials said Tuesday the United States is edging closer to calling for an end to the long rule of the Assad family. -- AP